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2014 DyeStat IL XC Season Individuals Previews – 1A Boys

Published by
DyeStatIL.com   Aug 21st 2014, 2:56pm
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Davis aims to repeat but will have company up front

 

By Michael Newman

[email protected]

 

This could be the start of the reign of Jon Davis this year in the 1A distance landscape. It actually started last year when he captured three individual state championships (1 in cross country, 2 in track). He could become even more dominant this season. We knew he was a talented runner when he earned all-state honors when he finished 2nd as a freshman in the 1600 Meter Run. His sophomore season was that of discovery in what he could actually do. It showed in the state meet races.

 

If there ever was a favorite in a classification this season (outside of Anna Sophia Keller), it should be Davis. Eric Ponder, Michael Cook, and Nick Monkemeyer may say otherwise. But after seeing what he did last season, it will be hard to bet against the Oakwood junior.

 

I think we will see some faster times at state this fall if the conditions are good. Remember, there was chaos before the Boys 1A race at Detweiller when the Girls race was delayed 25 minutes. It did effect some of the runners and how they performed. That cannot be denied.

 

Hers is a look at some of the top runners for 1A Boys in this 2014 Cross Country season.

 

1A Boys Individuals

(In Alphabetical Order)

 

Nathan Ambrose – SR – Winnebago

-    Just missed making all-state last year. Nathan finished 26th at last year’s 1A state meet. He should be the #1 runner again as Winnebago chaises after a state championship.

 

Al Balonado – SR – Spring Valley Hall

-    Al finished 17th at last year’s 1A state running 15:38. Ran a little bit under the radar last season until the Patriot Invitational where he ran 15:22 to finish second at Detweiller. He qualified for the state track meet last year winning the 3200 at his sectional in 9:54. He has the talent to place in the top ten at state this season.

 

Tanner Chada – SO – Aurora Christian

-    Tanner just missed all-state honors when he finished 28th in the 1A state meet running 15:46. He earned all-state honors at the state track meet when he placed sixth in the 3200 Meter Run when he ran 9:46.21. A now talented sophomore, with his freshman season as evidence, Chada will probably have a state championship by the time his prep career is over. A smart runner that is not intimidated by the spotlight of the big race.

 

Michael Cook – SR – Kewanee-Annawan Wethersfield

-    Michael finished 3rd at last year at the 1A state meet running 15:04. Michael has earned all-state honors in both the 800 Meter Run and 1600 Meter Run his sophomore and junior seasons. His a PR of 1:56.64 for the 800 and 4:23.58 for the 1600. He will be one of the top runners in 1A this season. Cook has great finishing speed when he needs it. “He has put in the work this summer to be great. He expect greatness and expects to run with the best in the state,” said Cook’s coach Creston Fenn. “He is fearless out there on the course. That fearless will take him far. Another top 5 performance would be an outstanding finish to the season.”

 

Jon Davis – JR – Fithian Oakwood

-    Jon won the 1A individual state championship running in 14:47. He is the 34th fastest sophomore all-time in the state meet. Davis won the 1A 3200 Meter Run and 1600 Meter Run at last spring’s state track meet. His PR’s are 1:57.54 for 800, 4:20.07 for 1600, 9:21.24 for 3200. I never seen the intensity in the eyes of a runner when he steps to the starting line like I do in Davis and he is only a junior. He races like a senior. He is tactically in each race. He can push the pace from the beginning or wait for the kick at the end. He realizes how good he is but is extremely humble about it. It will be very interesting to see how fast he runs this fall. The guy to beat in 1A.

 

Michael Gleason – SR – Rochester

-    Michael finished 13th last fall in the 1A state meet running 15:33. He will be the front runner again for Rochester with the ability to be one of the best in 1A this fall. “Michael put in a lot of miles over the summer and looks great so far,” said his coach Bill Owens. “He didn’t have the track season he hoped for but is looking to be competitive this fall.”

 

Nate Herridge – SR – Elmwood-Brimfield

-    Nate earned all-state honors when he finished 22nd in the 1A state meet last fall running 15:40. Herridge qualified for the state track meet in the 3200 Meter Run when he ran 9:51.03 in his sectional race. One of the reasons why Elmwood-Brimfield is ranked #1 right now in the state. He could run in the top 20 this fall at Detweiller in November.

 

Mohammed Hosseini – SR – Mt. Zion

-    Mohammed finished 18th in last year’s state meet running 15:38. Has a PR of 10:00.76 for 3200 Meter Run. Along with teammate Curtis Reed, they form the top 1-2 punch possibly in 1A. The talent is there to flirt with a top ten finish at state this fall.

 

Tyler Johnson JR – Pleasant Plains

-    Tyler finished 33rd in last year’s 1A state meet running 15:55. This junior is just realizing his potential and could be a surprise in 1A this season. He was part of his team’s 1A state champion 4x8 relay. He also qualified in the 1600 Meter Run. He achieved a PR of 4:27.07 in the state prelims.

 

Corbin Kakac – SR – Fairfield

-    Corbin finished 34th in last year’s 1A state meet running 15:55. He stepped into the 1A spotlight last spring when he finished 4th in the 3200 Meter Run (9:44.34) achieving all-state honors. He should be the top runner in the south out of 1A runners this fall. He is just realizing how good he could be. Don’t be surprised if he finishes between 5-10 at state this fall.

 

Cory Landon – JR - Carlinville

-    Did not qualify for the 1A State Meet last fall. Cory did not have his best sectional race last fall finishing 24th at the tough Decatur St. Teresa Sectional. He used his fall setback to push him to great things during the track season. He earned all-state honors in the 1A 1600 at the state track meet when he finished 7th. His PR for the 1600 is 4:23.82. Should see him in the top 15 this season. We will see if he can transfer his success on the track last spring to the cross country course this fall.

 

Nick Monkemeyer – JR – Rockford Christian

-    Nick earned all-state honors finishing 9th in last year’s 1A state meet running 15:22. Last spring, he helped his team qualify for the 2A state track meet in the 3200 relay. He has a PR of 4:34.84 in the 1600. He should be one of the best in 1A this fall and will be one of the keys of why Rockford Christian will challenge for a state team championship. He ran 15:35 at Detweiller at Dark in July. “Nick Monkemeyer is one of the smartest runners I've ever had the pleasure to coach,” said Rockford Christian Coach Randy Moore. “I have been thrilled with his maturation as a student, runner, and leader. I expect the same kind of training and racing savvy out of him as last fall. I would not be surprised to see him dip under 15:00 at Detweiller in November.”

 

Matt Norvell – SR – Monticello

-    Matt earned all-state honors finishing 19th in last year’s 1A state meet running 15:38. He qualified for the 2A state track meet in the 3200 running 9:41.47 in his sectional race. He also has a 4:33.23 PR in the 1600. The 9:41 that he ran during track has opened a lot of eyes of what he could do this fall. Norvell has the potential of finishing in the first five this season at state. He is one of the reasons why Monticello will again be in contention for a state trophy. “Matt is an endurance king who prospers at longer distances.  I like what I’ve seen so far in his preparation this summer and I’m looking forward to seeing where he can go from here,” said Monticello Coach Dave Remmert. “I believe he has a lot in him yet and could make a big impact.  Matt could not even make the varsity cross country squad at our middle school as an 8th grader, so his story is unique and inspiring to me.”

 

Matt Osmulski – JR – Elmwood-Brimfield

-    Matt finished 27th in last year’s 1A state meet running 15:44. One of the reasons why Elmwood-Brimfield is ranked #1 heading into this season. He has the potential to place in the top 20 at state this fall. Had a great summer of training according to his coach Gregg Meyers.

 

Wilson Plederer – SR – Tremont

-    Wilson finished 30th in last year’s 1A state meet running 15:50. He came out of the shadows of his teammates Connor Ehnle and Caleb Imig last winner to emerge as one of the top runners in 1A central Illinois this upcoming season. He should be the top runner for Tremont. It would not surprise me if he finishes in the top 15 at state this fall.

 

Eric Ponder – SR – Tuscola

-    Eric earned all-state honors finishing fifth at last year’s state meet running 15:16. He was all-state last spring in the 1A state meet finishing 3rd in the 3200 (9:25.05) and 4th in the 1600 (4:23.17). This could be the year for the Tuscola senior. He has the reputation of pushing the pace from the gun. He did that last year at the state meet before Davis and Hess pulled away from him in the last half of the race. He showed his improvement in track with his performances in Charleston. He may have found that extra gear that he will need against Davis. He is now a stronger runner. That may be the difference in his chase for an individual state championship this fall.

 

Nick Porter – JR – Paxton-Buckley-Loda

-    Nick finished 16th last fall in the rough Decatur St. Teresa Sectional meet not qualifying for the state meet. It should be a different story for him this season. Porter achieved all-state honors when he finished 9th in the 1A 1600 Meter Run. His PR for the 1600 is 4:27.20. That success in track should transfer over in his racing this fall.

 

Curtis Reed – SR – Mt. Zion

-    Curtis achieved all-state honors finishing 10th in the 1A meet running 15:24. He qualified for the 2A state meet in the 800. He finished 10th in the finals running a PR 1:57.83. This could be the year for this senior. He won the FTTF 1A race last September running 15:16. He ran 15:09 three weeks later at the Peoria Central Invitational. He has the potential to run under 15 minutes this fall.

 

Ben Strobel – SR – Vandalia

-    Ben finished 29th at last fall’s 1A state meet running 15:29. Even though his track season was non-descript, I would not count out this senior. He finished 10th at last year’s St. Teresa Sectional. He has the potential to be a surprise in the state race in 2014.

 

Andrew Warnes – JR – Tolono Unity

-    Andrew earned all-state honors at last year’s 1A state meet when he finished 24th running 15:41. He made a name for himself during the track season when he was all-state in the 800 finishing 5th in the 1A state meet (1:56.45). Unity will be a tough team this fall and Warnes is one of the reasons why. He did run 4:24 in the 1600 last spring. He is just discovering his talent. “Andrew had a nice spring season on the track as you probably know.  He focused on 800m, however, and it's a stretch to 3 miles,” said Unity Coach Dike Stirrett. “In all honesty, though, I feel that Andrew is just as good when you stretch the distance out.  The one serious attempt he made at 1600m on the track in the spring was 4:24 at the Shelbyville Open.  He has no problems training and preparing for 3 mile cross country racing, in fact he takes it just as serious as any other event or distance that he races.  One thing that helps him so much is the fact that he is such a team oriented guy.  He wants above all else that the team perform well and he understands that he has to be a big part of that.  His summer training went extremely well and he, like many of the other athletes, showed a higher level of training than last summer.”

 

Seth Williams – JR – Rock Falls

-    Seth earned all-state honors finishing 23rd in the 1A state meet running 15:41. He ran 9:45 for the 3200 last spring. Along with teammate Brayden Hamblen (who ran 9:42 for the 3200 and also qualified for the 2A state meet), the two could finish in the top ten at this year’s state meet especially what they did during the spring.



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